Q. Pretty impressive performance just under the circumstances; bogey-free, 5-under. Could you take us through what you're dealing with right now and I guess how you were able to put a number out there?
MAX HOMA: Yeah, I don't know for sure, but I have a pretty good sized bone spur on the top of my ankle. I've had it for a little while. I had planned on getting it taken out when we have a little bit of time off, so it was just kind of ironic.
It almost never gets inflamed, but I think this place is pretty hard to walk. Walking down just a small hill on 12, like I didn't feel anything, but as we were walking down the fairway on 12 I could feel it getting swollen. Then when we were done on 12 it was very, very tender.
Then I don't know, just not a good golf course to walk. Walking uphill is really hard because I can't flex it, so that sucked.
But in some way like, I mean, yesterday I played so well and I just get in my own way so much. It honestly helps to get hurt at times because I don't remember thinking about my golf swing, I don't remember thinking about really anything much. Just get it through. Get it to the house. If I hit a bad shot but it was in play, I was happy with it?
So, yeah, I think you learn a lot from that. Hopefully I can get this thing figured out. Just was like not very fun walking. Over the ball it's fine. Through the hit is not great, but it's manageable.
I don't know. I kept thinking about my wife had a horrendous birth with our first son and she had major, major surgery, and there is just no way I could complain about a hurt ankle while I walked. That one really -- she gets me through a lot. She couldn't look at me the same.
Yeah, this is nothing. It's just more of a pain.
Q. I was going to ask, withdrawing ever cross your mind at any point today?
MAX HOMA: I mean, for a moment, only just because if it doesn't get better I just couldn't see myself doing this for two more days.
But, yeah, probably not. I just can't. I don't want to do that. I love being here. I really like how my golf game feels. It's my last event of the year and it's just annoying to walk, so I can deal with that.
Q. So how important is this week given it's your last with your game feeling well and being in contention?
MAX HOMA: Yeah, it's not, but it's just nice to feel good about the game. It's been trending for sure the last couple months. Came in here with a lot of confidence in what I was doing. You know, had it going yesterday and just punted that, so it was nice to come out today and play the way I knew I could.
But it's not an important week. It's just other than I just want to keep improving for myself.
Q. Did the bone spur creep up at all yesterday?
MAX HOMA: No, no, I never feel this. I just have terrible dorsiflexion in my ankle. This never affects me at all. This is like the second time in a year it's popped up, and never in a tournament.
Q. You were over that putt at 18 yesterday and you declined to hit it. Were you okay with that? What was your thinking at that point?
MAX HOMA: My thinking was I couldn't see and putting is hard enough, so, yeah. I was just glad I made sure that -- I just was glad that other boys in my group didn't have to come out in the morning. That would've been the only reason I would've putted to be honest.
I couldn't really see much. The sun doesn't come up too early here so wasn't really that early of a wakeup. Yeah, I was glad I did. Kind of was anticlimactic, but I just wanted to feel like I was the aggressor, not on defense.
Q. After a couple days what are your thoughts on the course and how does it fit your eye?
MAX HOMA: It's a very unique golf course. There is a very small handful of very difficulty shots, and the rest are pretty turn your brain off. It fits my game really well. Not necessarily my eye, but fits my game.
I hit my irons really well. Been hitting them really well. This week the greens are crazy, but I feel like that kind of let's maybe kind of artistic on the greens, around the greens a lot of short grass I've been chipping well on.
So it fits a lot of things. I just have to get more comfortable with the lines. There is just a couple tee shots where it's just not 100 percent sure exact middle and left and right boundaries.
Yeah, for the most part just getting use to it. The elevation makes everything tricky. The morning is easier. It just goes back to what we normally play.
But it's a phenomenal golf course. The greens are great. I love how firm it's getting. Been a pretty awesome -- surprised I didn't come here last year about how cool this place is.
Q. With regard to the ankle, could you explain how the KT tape helps you today?
MAX HOMA: Yeah, I would love to say anything gave me relief. It was pretty much just the Advil by the end of the day. I think you're supposed to put KT tape on something and then kind of relax a little bit, not walk five more miles.
It was hard to tell if anything helped. Birdies helped a little bit. Yeah, it'll be all right. It's not that big of a deal. People deal with a lot worse.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports